Wenger praises Wilshere response

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger praised Jack Wilshere following the midfielder's equaliser in the 1-1 draw with West Brom.

Wilshere had come in for criticism during the week after being pictured apparently smoking outside a London nightclub, but his 63rd-minute strike cancelled out Claudio Yacob's first-half header as Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table.

Afterwards, Wenger lauded the character of Wilshere after the England international had struggled to make an impact on the game in the first half.

"He had a difficult first half when he was fouled a lot but he has shown he has character," the Frenchman said.

"He was pushed over a lot, I don't think it was dirty and he didn't get the fouls. He kept going and in the end it's good he was rewarded."

After receiving media attention for the wrong reasons throughout the week, Wenger admitted that Wilshere was contrite.

"He's an honest guy," Wenger added.

"When he's wrong he knows it. I think today the players don't get away with anything but they know that's the rules of the game and of modern society, they have to deal with it.

"He learns very quickly and what is more interesting for England and for Arsenal is that he shows the right response on the pitch."

On the game itself, Wenger felt both sides got what their efforts deserved, while the Frenchman also had praise for the opposition.

"It's a fair point over 90 minutes," he continued. "It required special resilience today because they didn't give us any space and they were were well organised and we needed to find something special to score.

"West Brom confirmed today why they won at Manchester United because they have good players in every position.

"They have many players who are good on the break and run with the ball, so they made it difficult and they defended very well."